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Showing posts with the label R.J. Cutler

BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE Featurette

If I Stay Review: Typical YA Fare Lacks Emotional Punch

Although well-intentioned, If I Stay is yet another hollow YA cryfest. This has been the Summer of YA and the results have been meh - from Divergent to The Fault in Our Stars , 2014 has tried its best to bring in the teenagers, all while adults roll their eyes at the melodrama. If I Stay follows the same tired themes of teenage love mixed with tragedy, and the result is only slightly better than other submissions. Cellist Mia (Chloe Grace Moretz) has a natural talent: given the instrument as an infant, her talents have grown quickly. Yet her social life is one of missed opportunities and long hours practicing, until she and rocker Adam (Jamie Blackley) kindle an unlikely love affair. What Adam doesn't know is that Mia has applied to Julliard, which will take her far away from her Portland roots; Adam's band is gaining notoriety, and soon the two realize their time is limited. Everything comes to a tragic halt when Mia's parents (Mireille Enos and Joshua Le